


A Blind Man's Prologue

by CollistaForest



Series: Linked Universe [9]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Blind Character, Breath of the Wild Spoilers, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 20:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18763834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CollistaForest/pseuds/CollistaForest
Summary: Part 2 to "Story of a Blind Hero" in which Wild learns the identity of the Old Man, finds Purah and goes off to Zora's Domain by request from one Prince Sidon.





	A Blind Man's Prologue

The texture of the woodcutter's axe felt too heavy in his hands. Textures and dents and chips were littered on the handle as,he ran his fingers over it. He shivered as he felt the cool blade against his burning skin, the direct sunlight unforgiving.

 

Link thanked the old man for the weapon, trailing down the grassy hill with the axe firmly against his back.

 

As his foot hit a stone wall, he could hear the growling and grunting of an animal, a monster.

 

Measuring the wall quickly, Link ducked behind it, bringing out the axe. From the way the creature's grunts echoed, there was an immense chance it was facing the other direction. It shuffled and moved a bit, but it never turned around.

 

Link really wishes he could see  _ anything  _ but black right now.

 

He snuck out from behind the wall, making a great deal of effort to keep the axe from dragging on the ground. Link swung, the momentum of the force and weight swinging him around in a circle before he could plant his feet. A squelching noise came from his left, the creature choking on it's on blood.

 

The thing exploded and it smelled  _ awful. _

 

Link held his nose as he put the axe onto his back again.

 

A stick that Link deemed long enough was used as a cane, directing him away from random bricks, edge of cliffs and random wild trees. It was helping immensely until he took a step,with nothing under his foot but air and he slid.

 

His heart dropped, but the trip wasn’t long. Link found himself on a platform, two sides covered in large rock that  _ must  _ have touched together to form a sort of roof because there was no more lashing heat from the sun against his skin. Actually, it felt cold and a bit damp.

 

The stick was dropped somewhere else, somewhere he couldn’t feel around for it. Though, near what he thought to be the center of the platform, there was another podium, not unlike the one that was in the shrine he woke up in. The swirly and broken design of the rock that made up the podium felt worn and a bit soft.

 

Coming to only a bit above waist level, Link ran his hands over the angled surface. Directly in the center, there was an opening to place the Sheikah Slate. Unclipping the device from his belt, he found it did fit perfectly. It slid in nicely.

A few whirrs and the Sheikah Slate moved, coming to nestle deep within the podium’s surface.

 

_ The ground shook. _

 

His heart lodged in his throat as the entire platform shot up to the sky. Bits of flying rock poured down, forcing Link to dodge what he couldn’t see. He ended up using a terribly made wooden shield he found on the ground earlier to keep from getting bruises and scrapes and cuts. The small noises of rock against wood made his feel a bit better about picking it up earlier.

 

Clanks and whirrs and shifting sounds declared the end of the ride up.

 

Link knew he was too far up to be comfortable, the wind was chill and the air itself was thinner than it should have been. 

 

_ Distilling Local Information… _

 

Link got up from the floor, a bit difficult considering the massive axe on his back. The sound came from the podium, the Slate.

 

A rushing sound came from above, water moving across crystals. A single drip came from it, landing right onto the Slate, scattering on impact.

 

_ Regional Map Extracted. _

 

Useful.

 

The slate dinged a few times, a signal for removal. Link picked it up and turned the slate the face him. A tingling sensation spiked in his fingers as he drifted them across the Slate, the sensation rising and falling as they moved.

 

_ A topographical map? _

 

The sensation left before his fingers left the slate, signalling the end of the map. Pressing down on the Slate would place a beacon, which made a pulsing sound if drifted over. Along with that, there was also a beacon that signified his location, one that would move along with him across the map. It will beep if you moved over it.

 

Link clipped the Sheikah Slate back to his belt.

 

_ Remember… _

 

There, there's the voice again! It was so much more feminine than the one coming from the Slate and it was  _ so far away.  _

 

_ Try… try to remember… _

 

The voice came from his left, luring him to the side the platform. Link had to stop before he hit the edge and fell over the side. The voice just seemed  _ so familiar,  _ it frustrated him that he couldn't remember who it belonged to. He couldn't remember  _ anything. _

 

_ You have been asleep for the past 100 years. _

 

A hundred years? Just  _ asleep? How in the world does that even work?? _

 

The ground shook again, but the tower made no vertical movement. Instead, Link could feel the presence of a dark and malicious force, directly ahead but  _ so far away _ . Just being able to  _ feel  _ it's existence could make anyone want to throw up their latest meal.

 

_ The beast… When the beast regains it's true power, this world will face it's end. _

 

A deep foreboding growl could be heard all across the world. It simply exudes darkness, threatening the world to death and famine and destruction. So… what was Link supposed to do about it? Fight it?

 

_ Now then… You must hurry Link, before it’s too late... _

 

There is no way he is fighting that thing right now.

 

Behind, there was a rustling of fabric and another pair of feet hitting stone. Which, frankly was a bit odd. There was only one other person around as far as he knew, but why would an old man come up to the top of a tower?  _ How  _ could the Old Man come to the top of the tower?

 

“My, my. It seems we have quite the enigma here.” There was a metallic thud against the stone, he must have brought out his lantern.

 

“What do you mean?” Link moved away from the edge, walking back over to the podium, picking at the edges with his fingernails.

 

“Well, this towers and others just like it have erupted across the land, one after another. It is almost as if… a long dormant power has awoken quite suddenly.” The Old Man looked around for a moment, studying the top of the tower. “If you do not mind me asking, did anything… odd occur while you were up here?”

 

Taking a second to think, Link scraped the old wood from underneath his fingernails.

 

“I heard a voice.”

 

“Well now!” The shout hurt Link's ears. “A voice you say? And did you happen to recognize this voice?”

 

“It was female, but no. I didn't recognize it.” It's not like he could.

 

“I see. Well, that is unfortunate.” The Old Man walked a bit past Link, standing near the edge and looking out to the malicious force that laid out in the distance. “I assume you caught sight of that atrocity enshrouding the castle.”

 

Link had to snort. “Not see, but yeah, I can feel it.” He took a few steps to the Old Man, stopping a few feet behind his and slightly to the right.

 

“Right, of course. That… is Calamity Ganon.” 

 

Link… just nodded along. He could tell there was disdain and fear behind the Old Man's voice, as if he had fought against the beast before. However, Link couldn't remember anything about the Calamity, no thoughts towards it except  _ its bad and shouldn't be here.  _

 

“One hundred years ago, that vile entity brought the Kingdom of Hyrule to ruin.”

 

“Is that where we are?”

 

“Yes, Link. The Calamity appeared suddenly and destroyed everything in its path. So many innocent lives were lost in its wake. For a century, the very symbol of our kingdom, Hyrule Castle, has been able to contain that evil. But just barely. There it festers, building its strength for the moment it will unleash its blight on the land once again.” The Old Man turned back around, his voice growing a bit lighter.

 

“I must ask you, courageous one… Do you intend to make your way to Hyrule Castle?”

 

After a bit of hesitation, Link spoke.

 

“Yes… but not just yet. If I try and fight a Calamity that destroyed the kingdom right now, I'd be killed on the spot. I still have a ways to go before I'm able to go and have even the slightest chance of winning.”

 

“I had a feeling you would say that.” Said around a chuckle, the Old Man sighed and looked around. “Here on this isolated plateau, we are surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs with no way down. If you were to try and hip down… Well, no death could be more certain.”

 

“I'd like to parry that, considering the Calamity over yonder.” Link smirked, he could make  _ some  _ jokes about the Calamity, right?

 

“Of course, if you had a paraglider like mine, that would be quite another story.”

 

“A paraglider?!” Link's back hit the podium. He took a step forward.

 

“I go, piqued your interest, have I?” The Old Man turns around, fully facing Link. “Yes, I didn't come soaring down here on my own feathery wings.”

 

“I need to borrow that.”

 

“Worry not- I will happily agree to give you my paraglider. But not for nothing. Let's see now…” The Old Man walked across to the other side of the Tower, metal clanging against the stone as he looked over the edge. Link followed close behind him, not caring to move his useless eyes as he leaned over the edge next to the Old Man.

 

“How about I trade it for a bit of treasure that slumbers nearby?”

 

“Treasure?” The Old Man nodded. “Where?”

 

“Come,” He pulled out the paraglider. “Let me show you something.”

 

“Down on the ground?” Link asked, moving away from the ledge.

 

“Yes, why?”

 

“How do I get down from here?” 

 

-0-0-0-

 

Link quickly discovered that the Shrines are not affected by the outside temperature. Even if it was more than a hundred degrees fahrenheit outside, the Shrines kept a regular room temperature.

 

The shrines were a very  _ visual  _ thing. You could barely get past the front gate without being able to see.

 

Using magnesis was  _ extremely difficult _ . Link will not admit to anyone that the first time he used it, a metal door came flying into his face and successfully knocked him out for a few minutes while writhing on the ground in pain. Nope, never happened.

 

Once he figured out that the Slate would buzz when it locked onto something, that made the shrine a bit easier. Moving across the three platforms at the end was definitely his least favorite part.

 

Drenched, he completed the shrine, gaining a Spirit Orb from the Shrine's Monk. Who was, probably dead, but kinda nice.

 

After getting a few upgrades for the Sheikah Slate, a few more Spirit Orbs, a nice spicy meal and a warm doublet, the Old Man drifted down on his paraglider again and dropped right next to where the Shrine Link had just completed was.

 

“Link, you have finally collected the four Spirit Orbs on the Great Plateau. That means it is finally time.” The Old Man brought the lantern back out, the warmth barely brushing across Link's skin.

 

“Finally time for what?” Rubbing his sleeves, Link took a few steps down into the snow. The metal of his earrings were freezing his skin, but they would be impossible to get back in without sight, so they stayed.

 

“Link, its finally time for me to tell you everything.”

 

“Oh yay, exposition.”

 

“But first… Imagine an ‘X’ on your map, directly in the middle of the four shrines of the plateau. I’ll be waiting there.”

 

Before the Old Man could jump off the side of the mountain, Link yelled,

 

“Wait, can’t you just take me there? It would be easier since I’m, y’know, blind.”

 

The Old Man took a second of hesitence, then, “It would be easier, yes, but you’ll need to learn how to deduce locations according to your map. In taking this journey, you won’t get direct exact locations from travelers, only assumptions and vague directions. Consider this a short lesson, Link.” And in the next second, he was sailing off the cliff.

 

Link groaned in exasperation, throwing back his head as he hit the snow. “Why does everything have to be so  _ cryptic? _ ” Pulling the slate from it’s clip, he activated the screen. The map came up immediately and, with a quick shake, it came off the screen into a 3D layout he could feel. The beacons of the shrines pulsed, letting him find the midpoint of them all. Pressing down, he placed a beacon and, finding his location, Link figured out which direction exactly he should be heading in.

 

From there, it was a long walk.

 

He tumbled down most of the mountain.

 

There, at the epicenter of the four shrines, he found a building the Sheikah Slate called The Temple Of Time. It took a few minutes of brushing the floor with a recently acquired claymore, but he made his way up to the upper temple, slaughtering a few keese along the way. The old and broken down stairs held a bit of difficulty getting up, but he managed. Though, halfway up, there were what felt like old machines in the dirt. Link kept tripping over what he imagined to be their legs, poking up from the dirt.

 

Inside was full of grass and broken stone. Though the roof was mostly gone, there was no burning sunlight, only a slight chill. The sun must have set.

 

He walked to the far end, the claymore finding another short set of stairs for him to walk up.

 

_ You who have conquered the Shrines and claimed their Spirit Orbs, I can offer you great power. _

 

Another voice came, not spoken, but echoing across his mind, though this one had a name…

 

Goddess Hylia.

 

Of course, he always knew the Goddess. Who didn't know the Goddess? You would be crazy to live in Hyrule Kingdom and not know the Goddess.  _ So why does it feel like she planted her name in his head? _

 

He accepted the offer, trading in the Spirit Orbs for more heath.

 

Link really didn't understood how it worked, but it wasn't much of a concern.

 

_ Go, and bring peace to Hyrule. _

 

He almost responded with, ”Sure, I'll get right on that,” before he realized he'd be talking to a statue, and that would be weird.

 

”The blessing of the Goddess has made you that much more resilient, I see...” The Old Man yelled from above, most likely one of the holes through the ceiling.

 

”Yeah, I guess so.” Link yelled upwards, hopefully facing in the direction of the man. Being blind made face-to-face interactions kinda awkward, mostly for the other person.

 

”A bit left,” Link moved his head a bit left. ”Here I am… Get up here-quickly!”

 

”One moment.” The claymore came back out, being used to find ways to get  _ up.  _ He has discovered that jumping when you are unable to see your destination is kinda difficult.

 

The height along with the breeze made the air cold. Holes in the roof made Link a bit weary as he jumped across to the top tip of the roof, walking along to the demolished room the Old Man was waiting in.

 

“Well done there, young one!”

 

“Thanks.” Link wiped a few drops of sweat from his brow.

 

“Now, then… the time has come to show you who I truly am.”

 

Link quirked his eyebrow, who he really is? “So you aren't just an old man?”

 

“Funny,” he snorted. “I was King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. I was… the last leader of Hyrule, a kingdom which no longer exists.”

 

The king?! Link, internally screaming, managed to nod to the King. He wasn't computing very well. It was just… shocking that he's been getting directions from the King this entire time.

 

Link wondered, even just for a second, how the King knew him  _ before  _ the Calamity. When the King found him right outside the Shrine of Resurrection, he called Link by name. Which, considering his position, was odd to think about. How close was his previous life to the King?

 

A rush of air blew from the King who, now, exuded off a different  _ feeling  _ than he had before. This one was more… ghostly, dead.

 

_ The King had died long before now, maybe a century ago when the Calamity struck. Maybe he got far away from the Calamity and died up in the mountains of the plateau. Maybe he was killed, maybe he died of natural causes. Who knew? _

 

Then again, if the King is a ghost now, why did he feel the need to use a paraglider? 

 

“The Great Calamity was merciless,” Oh yay, more exposition. “It devastated everything in its path, lo, a century ago. It was then that my life was taken away from me. And since that time, here I have remained, in spirit form.”

 

The presence of the King shifted away, fading only a little as he floated to the window.

 

“I did not think it wise to overwhelm you while your memory was still fragile. So rather than that, I thought it best to assume a temporary form. Forgive me.”

 

“There is nothing that needs to be forgiven.” Link said to the King, feeling around for a short bench next to the window to sit on for the remainder of the conversation.

 

The King grunted. “I think you are now ready, ready to hear what happened 100 years ago.”

 

-0-0-0-

 

Link felt like screaming his head off and, this time, for good reason. Every time he tried to draw the blue flame, which burned his skin to be near, it would go out. Not only because he  _ couldn't really tell where he was going most of the time,  _ but also because there were  _ monsters _ .

 

He would try to draw the sword, but end up either dropping the torch or moving it too fast, causing the flame to die.

 

After killing what he had hoped to be the last Bokoblin,  _ that's what Purah called it, right?,  _ Link walked all the way back to the flame  _ again. _

 

Taking a second to calm himself down, take a few deep breaths, and promise not to simply murder Purah for making him do this, Link leaned against the torch, using it as a crutch to rest against.

 

He was kinda running out of time to do this, so why not get it done as soon as possible? Link took in a deep breath as he pushed off the torch, caught the unburnt end, and stuck it,back into the blue flame.

 

It was an hour before the laboratory on the hill started glowing blue once again.

 

Link pushed in through the back door, ignoring Purah's excited squealing and going straight to where the podium for the Sheikah Slate was supposed to be. He ended up running into the wall.

 

The podium accepted the Slate, the sound of water rushing against crystal, a single drop of water that shattered on impact.

 

Yada, yada, yada.

 

“Lemme see!” Purah snatched the Slate out of his hands before he could wipe off the residue information from the covering. She trotted back over to the stool she liked to stand on and fiddled with the controls, gushing over the Slate.

 

“Awwe, it's all fixed up now! Let's see... Where is it?” Purah pressed so many buttons on the Slate, Link could hear the clicking of the buttons and it  _ drove him insane. _ “Ah, here we are! Camera, Album, Hyrule Compendium… Yup, looks good!”

 

“Thanks, but can I have it back now?” He pleaded, holding out a hand for the Slate.

 

“Fiiiine,” She threw the Slate back into his arms. Link claimed for a second to keep the Slate from dropping to the ground and risk cracking the screen. “So I know this is sudden,” she went on, “but hear me out.”

 

Link clipped the Sheikah Slate onto his belt. “I'm listening.”

 

“There are some old landscape photos stored in the Album. I knew Princess Zelda had made frequent use of the Camera feature, but this…” Purah gave out a low whistle.

 

“Hey, Linky!” 

 

“Oh fuck… Yes, Purah?”

 

“It dawns on me that you were Princess Zelda's appointed knight, which means there's a strong possibility that you accompanied her to all the places where these photos were taken!”

 

“That's nice, I wish I remembered those times.” Link tried his best to make a ‘ _ duh _ ’ expression, even if he didn't really know if he could make it or not.

 

“Oh… right. The “lost memory and blindness” thing could prove to be quite troublesome. But don't lose hope! It just means these pictures could be the missing piece to restore your lost memories! I'm sure if we set your tracker to locate the places in the pictures, it would be able to notify you when you're close to one!” Purah's shriek-like giggles hurt Link's ears.

 

“I should be able to figure that out…” Link ran his fingers over the design on the back of the Sheikah Slate. “What else can the Camera do?”

 

“Well, I think I'll be able to video call you with the prototype Slate I made a while back. I will have to test it out later, but I think it will work, snap!”

 

Link thanked her, and the assistant who was trying to hide his laughter behind the books, and left.

 

He walked, cleared shrines with Purah's visual assistance, fought some monsters, got more pieces of the map from the towers.

 

Same old, same old.

 

The land got damp, he could feel the salt on his skin as he walked to the Inogo bridge. However, just before he could cross…

 

“Say, hey there. Young one!” A royal-accented voice rang out. Though, even with Link's ability to locate the direction of sounds, it was difficult for him to pinpoint where it came from.

 

“Where are you?” Link had an urge to keep one hand on his current blade. He fought it, but not all that well. If you looked, you could watch his hand twitch.

 

“Up top! Above you!” The voice, definitely male, shouted.

 

“Oh,” Link felt his ear twitch up. The male's voice was… endearing. “Well come down then.”

 

Link heard a few grunts, maybe flips in the air, and then two feet landing on the ground in front of him.

 

“Pardon the entrance, but you're a Hylian, aren't you?” From the way the voice still had to drift down to reach his ears, Link figured the other was  _ much  _ taller than him. And, considering the Gerudo only have males every once in a while, he was willing to bet this man was a Zora.

 

And that's… nice… fish people are cool. Not hot at all.

 

“I was hoping perhaps you would have a moment to talk.”

 

“Sure, that'd be alright, just, who are you?” Link could assume who he was, but he didn't have anyone in his mind to compare him to. Also, he didn't want to,keep calling the Zora guy “him” the entire time.

 

“Oh, pardon me. I am Sidon, the Zora Prince!” He said the words with confidence that only came when someone struck a ridiculous pose. “And what is your name? Go on, please tell me!”

 

Well, with excitement like that, he couldn't really refuse, could he?

 

“My name is Link.”

 

“Link? Your name is Link?! What a fantastic name!” Sidon yelled, effectively making Link's left ear ring again. He brushed off a few drops of water on his cheek and wiped it into his shirt, the Champion's tunic.

 

“Hmm, though I cannot shake the feeling that I have heard it somewhere before..” Pondering for a moment, Sidon then spoke back to Link, continuing his feelings of excitement that showed through his voice. “Well, in any case, it's a strong name!”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“To be honest, I've been watching you.”

 

“Not creepy at all, but continue.”

 

“I've seen the way you work. I can tell by how you carry yourself that you are no ordinary person.” Although it came across a little but stalkerish, it was kind of cute, but borderline creepy at the same time.

 

“Link!” There it is again with the shouting… will it ever stop? “You must be a strong warrior among the Hylian, correct?!”

 

“That's right, I guess. I mean, there aren't many Hylian around to compare myself to, but i believe I'm a bit strong.” 

 

“Yes, just as I suspected!” What was he suspecting, exactly? “I am a Zora Prince after all. I have an eye for talent that is unparalleled!”

 

“Nice to know. I must ask, why are you searching for a Hylian?” Link let his weight shift, getting comfortable for what was sure to be a long conversation.

 

“Right now, Zora's Domain is in grave danger because of the massive rainfall dimming from Divine Beast Vah Ruta!” Straight to the point, good. Though, from the way his voice moved and the subtle sound of limbs moving through air, Link figured Sidon loved to talk with his hands flailing about, like emphasizing a point. “We need someone of your strength to come to Zora's Domain, warrior! Won't you please come to Zora's Domain with me?”

 

Well, you can't resist a man who says  _ “please.” _

 

“Sure, why not.” He doesn't really have anything better to do at the moment, so why not?

 

“Wow, really?! Thank you, Link! You are indeed the man I thought you were!” 

 

The man Sidon thought he was? That's… nice. He wishes he was the man he thought he was, too.

 

“Now Zora's Domain will be saved for certain!”

 

“Whoa there, big guy. I don't promise a hundred percent completion, though. I can barely walk three feet without tripping over something, no promises on giant Sheikah tech creatures.” Crossing his arms, Link could feel the weight of the Zora's eyes on him, looking for faults and blemishes.

 

There were plenty to see.

 

“You are blind, Link?” One of Sidons hand's came closer, forming a tiny breeze as he waved a hand in front of Link's face. Link took the hand with both of his own, feeling the sharp claws on the tips of his fingers, and pushed it down, away from his face.

 

“Yes.” Was all the response Sidon was getting for that.

 

“Well, no worries! I can always help you around Zora's Domain! It will not take more than a minute to get used to the layout, trust me!” Sidon must have struck the pose again, his voice gained the bout of confidence. It must be a common thing.

 

“Thanks, I'll hold you to that offer though, Zora Prince.” Smirking, Link uncrossed his hands and rested them against his hips.

 

“Of course. Now then, no time to waste! Because of the rain, the mountains are too slippery to climb. To reach the Domain, you will need to go straight along this path.” Sidon shifted, most likely looking around to inspect the land once again. “As a Hylian, I know you are unable to swim up the river. As such, the path to the Domain may be a bit treacherous.”

 

“That might be a bit difficult to pass through, but I'll do fine.”

 

“Right. I shall go on ahead and make sure there is not anything strange going on where you are headed. I'm counting on you!” Sidon pushed off the ground after that, diving headfirst into the water.

 

Link, being as sappy as he could be, whispers out an “And I, you.” across the river.

 

Link had spent the entirety of the time between his and Sidon’s next meeting thinking about how he wishes he could see how Sidon looks.

 

And every meeting afterwards.

 

Zora's Domain sounded lively. The pattering of feet against glass along with the small conversations here and there really made the humid Domain feel lively.

 

Link, however, was too occupied with his now poofed-up hair to worry about the quests that may or may not riddle the Domain. The hair tie was hardly keeping it down, which was just a bit infuriating.

 

Soon, a handmade set of Zora armor was thrust into his arms, Sidon patting his back in encouragement.

 

“So, how are we going to get into Vah Ruta, Prince?” Adjusting the Zora armor, Link stood on a bank, right next to the Prince, Sidon. The feeling of being utterly terrified filled up the spot where the Prince was, and since he kinda didnt want to drown in the feeling, he thought a conversation might do well to ease of some terror.

 

“Well, since I am unable to get past, you'll have to be going through alone, which is a terrifying thought to me. I do not want you to die in Van Ruta because of your inability to see, Link.” Thank Hylia Sidon was amazing at getting straight to the point. Link liked that about the Prince, it made conversation much easier.

 

“Don't worry,” Link patted the Sheikah Slate on his hip. “I have a device that can connect me with someone who can see through the divide. She can direct me around and probably control the beast from where she is once I connect with the databases here.”

 

“Hmm, that is a useful little device.”

 

“Tell me about it.”


End file.
